All is Fair in Love and War
by cocobobo10
Summary: The kingdom of Alantii winds up in a crisis. One of which involves Haley, the princess, and her two friends/bodyguards Ashley and Allie. Schemes form, alliances are tested, and the darkness is ever creeping into the hearts of people in the world. Can the girls remain true to their hearts? Or will the darkness consume them?
1. Chapter 1

Alantii is well known for being a beautiful island country. Waterfalls scattered throughout the thick, luscious forest. The roaring waterfalls would reach over a mile high and double rainbows would sprout from them in the areas that weren't covered in shade. When the water hit the rocks below it would spray up mist that would attract a lot of the wildlife to come and cool off on a hot day, which happened most of the year outside of the rainy season. These waterfalls would attract a lot of tourists into the country, allowing it to flourish.

The tourists kept coming during the rainy season too. They all wanted to see one of the wonders of the world that Alantii had. Other than dungeons they also had salt flats. During most of the year, it just looks like cracked, dry, white ground. However, during the rainy season is when it shines. When it rains, these salt flats turn into a giant mirror that reflects the heavens above. When people stand in the salt flats, they can feel like they are standing in the galaxy or floating in the sky.

Moving into the inhabited areas, tourists can see the locals, go to the markets, and experience the Alantii culture. With the locals, they can see the popular silks usually only available to the royals and wealthy people of the world. They can go to the market and purchase these silks, jewelry, and go to the many festivals that Alantii holds, celebrating its peace and unique culture.

Even the royal family of Alantii goes to these festivals. These festivals are not limited to the city areas. They can sometimes go to the salt flats.

In fact, six years ago, on Princess Haley's 20th birthday, the King, Queen, and the Prince went with her to the salt flats after her party. Along the way there, thieves came and surrounded them.

"What do you want with us?" the King demanded.

"What do we want? Isn't it obvious?" one of the thieves laughed. "We're thieves, we want whatever you have on you! So empty your pockets!" The Queen put a hand on the King's elbow.

"Dear, what should we do? We got separated from our guards," she whispered.

"Don't worry my love. I'll figure something out," he whispered back. "We do not have anything on us except for our clothes."

"Then take off your clothes. We can sell those at the market," the thief said. The Queen gasped as a knife found its way an inch away from the base of the King's throat.

"Dad?" Haley's voice shook.

"Just do as they say honey," he said. With shaking hands, the King started to take off his shirt and placed it into the hands of the thief in front of him. He nodded at the Queen and his children to do the same. Just as they were about to start stripping, a knife flew through the air and landed in front of the head thief. He took a step back and looked around him.

"Who's there?" Silence. "Come out or these people die!" Chuckling came from behind him and he turned around to see a guy. He had long black hair that was in a braid, black baggy pants, a black midriff, and a white choli. "Who are you?"

"Does it matter? I'm here and I'm bored. And honestly petty thieves like you couldn't ease my boredom," the man said.

"How dare you call us petty thieves! Get him boys!" the head thief yelled. A moment of silence came and he turned around to see that all of his men were lying on the ground, dead. Between him and his comrades' corpses were two girls. They wielded swords and one of them had a bow and arrow slung around her back while the other had a spear tied to her back. "Who are you two? And what have you done to my comrades?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the boy said.

"Or are you just too dumb to see the reality around you?" the girl with the bow and arrows said.

"You were trying to rob these people, so we decided to help them," the girl with the spear explained.

"It's pretty boring saving people though," the boy said.

"People still got killed, don't be a spoil sport," the girl with the bow and arrows said to the boy. The boy chuckled.

"That's true. Although you could have made me wait a little longer to see these people's sufferings," the boy said.

"Judar, it's one thing to enjoy the pain of others. It's another to stand by and watch people get stripped of the very clothes of their backs and get thoroughly embarrassed," the bow and arrow girl said.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Judar sighed. "Can I kill this guy yet?" The head thief started to tremble.

"No, not yet," she said.

"We have to see who he works for first," the spear girl said. Judar groaned and leaned against a tree. Meanwhile, the King had put his shirt back on and the other three were huddled together, watching.

The girls walked up to the head thief and pointed their swords at his neck.

"Tell us who you work for," they said, their eyes going dark. Small, black rukh were surrounding them, mostly around the girl with the bow and arrows, although only Judar could see them.

After some interrogation the head thief confessed that he was working for a rival tribe that didn't like the royal family and had hired him and his comrades to take them out. Although that ended in failure and he would most likely be killed when he went back empty handed.

"You have enough out of him yet? I'm itching to kill this annoying human," Judar whined.

"Okay fine. He'll be killed either way. Might as well kill him ourselves," the bow and arrow girl said. Judar smirked and took out his wand and aimed it at the thief.

"You're lucky. You get to die at the hands of a Magi," Judar said. He got his magic concentrated at the tip of his wand.

"Wait! You don't have to kill him! Maybe we can learn more about why this tribe hates our family and we can fix it, or at least come to peaceful terms. No more blood needs to be spilled!" the King said, standing between the wand and the thief.

"Darling," the Queen said.

"Dad!" Haley and the prince yelled.

"This is why I hate humans, other than my Ashley. You let your emotions stop you from doing what is necessary. Get out of my way or I'll kill you too," Judar said.

"Judar, don't. He's the king. We can't kill him," the girl with the bow and arrows said. Judar glanced at her, sighed, and lowered the wand.

"Then you get him out of my way, Ashley. Before I make him," Judar said. Ashley sighed.

"Your majesty, with all due respect, get out of the way and let us do what needs to be done. If we let him live, he will only say things to save his life, including lies," Ashley explained.

"You don't know that. By saving his life now, he could very well become an asset to creating more peace between the kingdom and the tribal peoples that live in this forest," the King said. Ashley walked up to him. He gulped as the cold metal lightly pressed against his neck.

"We saved you from being humiliated by petty thieves. As the royal family, you shouldn't have been so stupid as to be separated from your guards," Ashley said.

"They weren't even good guards. We took them out within a minute," the other girl said.

"You killed our guards?" the Queen gasped.

"No, we simply knocked them out. We aren't stupid," the other girl said.

"Like I was saying. Why should we take orders from a king who is stupid enough to be separated from his guards in a thick forest where his reign does not reach? You're in our territory now, so you go by our rules," Ashley said.

"And we say to step out of Judar's way," the other girl said. The King glanced at his family. His wife and daughter were huddled close together while his son stood in front of them, shaking but standing tall. The King sighed.

"Remove your sword from my neck and I shall let you do what you need to," he said.

"No! Please, don't let them kill me!" the thief begged. Ashley removed her sword and, with a heavy heart, the King walked towards his family. Behind him, Judar raised his wand once more and killed the thief with his ice magic. The Queen stared at Judar, horrified, as he laughed at the way the thief died.

Once it was over, the King turned to the two girls.

"Who are you three anyway?" he asked.

"We belong to a tribal group here in the forest," Ashley said.

"What are you names? We wish to thank the people that saved us from thieves, although you did kill them," the Queen said. The girls looked at each other, then at Judar, who simply shrugged.

"I'm Ashley, and this is my older sister Allie," Ashley introduced.

"And I'm Judar, a Magi and Ashley's boyfriend," Judar said, putting an arm around Ashley's shoulders.

"I see, well words would not be enough to thank you three. I wish to make you an offer, but first I must ask a question. Do you have parents? For I must ask them if it is okay with them first," the King said.

"Yeah we have parents," Ashley said.

"They're the leaders of our tribe," Allie said.

"Then will you let us meet them?" the Queen asked. Ashley and Allie turned away, whispering to one another. Meanwhile Judar watched the royal family's every move. Including the way Haley was looking at Ashley and Allie. The girls turned back around, Ashley folding her arms.

"Although it is against the rules for outsiders to see our camp, I'm sure our parents will make an exception for the royal family," Allie said, Ashley nodding in agreement.

"Excellent, then please lead the way," the King beamed. They headed into what seemed like a random direction and eventually ended up on a flat plain that the tribe had made their home. The girls went onto the plain first, followed by the royal family, and Judar covering the back. Throughout the whole trek the Queen had constantly glanced at him over her shoulder. To which Judar would smirk at her every time.

"Welcome to our camp," the girls said.

Roughly two years passed since that day and a lot happened. Ashley and Allie became the personal guards to Haley, the three of them became best friends, and the darkness that was once so dominant in Ashley and Allie's souls started to become light. This, however, caused friction in the romance between Judar and Ashley, eventually causing them to break up. Judar vowed to make her pay for the heartbreak he felt and that he would eventually bring back the Ashley he once knew.

Four more years passed and the darkness had almost disappeared from Ashley's heart, and was completely gone in Allie's. They lived their days in peace with Princess Haley and her family, vowing to protect her with all their might against anything and anyone that might do her wrong. The girls lived in the palace with the royal family and continued to get stronger. Allie learned how to do healing magic since, despite being a renowned swordsman and warrior, she was very clumsy and constantly got herself into trouble, which Ashley had to keep getting her out of. This clumsiness would give her scars, scratches, and the occasional broken bone.

At the present moment, the two girls, Princess Haley, and the Queen were walking around the gardens of the palace, with other guards following a little farther behind them.

"Really, you two, I don't know why neither of you will date any of our guards," the Queen sighed.

"Your majesty, I am simply not interested in any of them," Ashley said.

"Same here. They're all nice, but I'm just not into any of them," Allie added.

"But why not? They're all ten times the men that Judar was. Plus I don't get a strange vibe from any of them that I did with Judar," the Queen said. Ashley sighed.

"Here we go again," she mumbled.

"I mean, what was with that boy? All he wanted to do was cause havoc and chaos. Alantii is a peace loving nation. We have no tolerance for people who crave war and suffering. It was enough to have to witness him killing that thief six years ago," the Queen said.

"Yes yes, I understand. He was a horrible man. But there's something you have to understand, when he and I were on the same side and not fighting, he was actually nice to me and cared about me. It may not have looked it, but that's how it was. He's had a lot of things to deal with, and while he is a crappy person now, it's not completely his fault," Ashley explained.

"I guess I just don't understand him the way you do, Ashley. But that's in the past now. You're 22 years old now, and Allie you're 23. You two need to find men soon. We have all the finest men in the country right at your fingertips. Play the field, do whatever you need to do to find true love," the Queen said.

"Yeah, at least you two have the options. I can only marry other royalty," Haley said.

"Can't we just take our time?" Allie asked.

"In this world, you don't know how long you are going to live, not even powerful people like you two. War, famine, disease, anything can happen. Live now, love hard, enjoy life while you can," the Queen said.

"Yes Milady," Ashley and Allie said.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Worry more about your daughter who seems to get into trouble a lot," Ashley said, smirking at Haley.

"Hey! I do not get into trouble," Haley said.

"Then what about last week when we went to the festival?" Allie asked.

"Okay, so maybe scaring the tiger wasn't a good idea…but you two took care of it and no one got hurt!" Haley said.

"And what about when we took you to that waterfall?" Ashley said.

"It's not my fault I got stuck on a log and almost fell down the waterfall!" Haley said.

"You tried to save a frog….which is able to swim by itself," Allie said. Haley went silent.

"Exactly," Ashley and Allie said. The Queen simply sighed.

"If we didn't have you two protecting her, I don't know what would have happened to Haley," the Queen said.

"Well that's just rude," Haley said. The others laughed.

Meanwhile in the throne room….

"Your majesty, there is a visitor for you," one of the soldiers said.

"Who is it?"

"He says he's from the Kou Empire," the soldier said. The King stiffened for a moment.

"Bring them in."

 **HELLO ALL!**

 **FIRST THINGS FIRST:**

 **WELCOME TO THE STORY!**

 **SECOND:**

 **IF YOU'RE NEW TO MY STORIES, I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT YES I AM AWARE THAT HALEY, ASHLEY, AND ALLIE ARE NOT NAMES THAT FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THE CHARACTERS OF MAGI. I USE THESE THREE NAMES SINCE THEY BELONG TO ME AND TWO OF MY FRIENDS, WHOM I MAINLY WRITE THIS FOR.**

 **THIRD:**

 **I HAVE MANY MORE CHAPTERS ALREADY WRITTEN FOR THIS STORY, BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REVIEW/COMMENT IF YOU SO WISH TO. ANY FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOME SINCE I CAN STILL EDIT THE FUTURE CHAPTERS.**

 **MANY THANKS AND STAY TUNED TO REWRITES OF MY OLDER(SHORTER) STORIES AND MORE CHAPTERS FOR THIS STORY!**

 **THANKS!**


	2. Chapter 2

The throne room was one of the biggest rooms in the castle, second only to the ball room. Giant pillars supported the high ceiling and a red carpet was spread out through the middle of the room, starting from the door all the way to the four thrones. Tall glass windows brought in the sunlight as well as showed off the gentleness of the countryside, allowing royal visitors to see only the tip of the iceberg of the country's beauty.

"Thank you for granting me an audience, your majesty," the man said as he entered the room, looking towards the windows. "Oh, what a lovely view."

"Yes, it is a beautiful sight, isn't it?" the King said, also looking outside. "But let's skip the formalities, what does Kou want with my country?" The man chuckled and the King glanced at him, not a single emotion portrayed.

"My my, so quick to the point. Very well, I'll play by your rules. The Emperor wants this country," the man briefed.

"Well, he can't have it. This country is very peaceful and hasn't known anything else for generations," the King said.

"He thought you might say that. So he wanted to warn you that if you do not give up your throne and your country today, then the Kou Empire will take it over by force. Although, there's no need to try to negotiate with you lot since your military forces are very…lacking," the man said, smirking at the guards surrounding the King. "There's a rumor you and your family were almost killed by mere thieves six years ago." The King stood up and the guards stood between him and the man from Kou.

"That has nothing to do with the might of our military!" the Prince yelled as he walked from behind a pillar.

"Arum!" the King turned towards his son.

"You don't know this country, let alone those woods. There are points at which a human can't see an inch in front of their eyes," Arum continued. "Besides, we have some forces in this country that are very strong and very capable of wiping out an entire army just by themselves!"

"Oh? Is that so? I would very much like to meet these people then, if their might alone makes up the majority of your army," the man smirked.

"That's not what I said and you know it!" Arum yelled.

"Son that is enough. This is not a matter for you to deal with," the King said.

"Your father's right you know. This is adult stuff, the children should go off to their lessons," the man chuckled.

"Father!" Arum exclaimed.

"Listen to me now, you are not yet ready to handle matters like this. Go and find your mother and sister. I'll meet you all in the garden," the King said. Arum narrowed his eyes at his father, but stormed off anyway. "As for your comment, Mr. Representative, I suggest you keep your mouth shut if you plan to insult my family anymore. As for the rumor, it is just a rumor and nothing else. But back to the matter at hand. Why does the Emperor want our country?" The man's smirk turned into a grin as business went on.

"This country is obviously very wealthy, and the people love the royalty that govern them. There are many divine silks and other merchandise that the Emperor wants in his Empire," the man explained.

"We could simply trade with the Empire then, instead of becoming one with them," the King said.

"The Emperor doesn't want mere trade, he wants all of the country, goods, nature, the people, all of it," the man said.

"I'm sure there must be a way to negotiate with the Emperor," the King said.

"Well, if you went back to the Empire with me, perhaps I could get you an audience with him," the man said. "After all, he sent me here personally."

"I see. Then I shall accompany you back to the Emperor," the King said. "When will you be leaving?"

"As soon as you're ready, your highness," the man bowed, internally smirking.

"Go to the port and wait for me there. We leave at sunset," the King said.

"Yes, your majesty," the man said. He bowed again and exited the throne room. The King plopped down onto his throne and sighed.

"I guess that's what happens when one country has peace for too long. But I will die before I let anyone disturb this country's peace. Even if I must sacrifice one person's freedom to do so. If this goes well, nothing will change. We'll just be losing two of our big forces in our army, and be down one member of the royal family," the King planned out loud.

Behind one of the pillars, another man, the Queen's personal assistant, had forced himself to remain hidden through the entire ordeal, making sure to remember every word. Even now he kept himself hidden. Once the King had stopped talking, the man very sneakily exited the room, unbeknownst by anyone and headed to the garden.

"Did no one like Judar while I was with him?" Ashley asked.

"He was kind of mean," Haley said. "And no offense, but he had a bad aura coming off of him."

"It's not his fault he's like that! He's had a bad past," Ashley trailed off.

"So have you two. But you managed to find the light in the dark," the Queen said.

"Mom's right. You two belong here, in the light, with us," Arum said. Ashley looked down at her lap and sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're all right," she said.

"Milady!" the Queen's personal assistant called, running up to them.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," the Queen said, standing up and walking over to him. Panting, he explained what he all heard. "How could this happen? And what does he plan to do?" The Queen mused. She glanced over to Haley and her eyes widened. "Does he really plan to do this? I must speak with him, before he leaves. Go find him and tell him I want to talk to him."

"Yes Milady," he said. He ran off to find the King.

"Mom, what's going on?" Haley asked, standing up. Ashley and Allie stood up with her, their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"Relax you two, no one's in danger right now," the Queen said.

"Right now?" Allie asked.

"What's going on, your highness?" Ashley asked.

"If my husband is trying to do what I think he is, then I will have to leave soon and visit an old friend. If that happens, Arum and Haley, you two will watch over the kingdom for me and your father," the Queen said.

"Mom, why won't you tell us what Dad is trying to do?" Arum asked. The Queen walked over and put a hand on his cheek.

"I will tell you, in due time. For right now, I want you two to go to your lessons. This is your final year, Arum, in royal lessons. So make sure to make it a good year," she said. Arum sighed.

"Yes Mom," he said. She lowered her arm and turned to Haley.

"Haley, I don't want you leaving this castle for a while, understand? Not until your father and I have a talk," she said.

"But there's a festival tonight that I really wanted to go to," Haley said. The Queen rested her hands on Haley's shoulders.

"Trust me. This is for your own good," she said. "Now off you all go. And don't forget what I said."

"Yes Mom," Arum and Haley said.

"Yes your highness," Ashley and Allie said. Arum and Haley went off to their studies. Ashley and Allie went with Haley and sat around.

About half an hour later, the King came to the gardens and sat down next to the Queen.

"Hello my love," he said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

"Hello darling," she said.

"You wished to speak with me?

"Yes. A little birdie told me about a certain visitor we had today," she said. He let go of her hand and stared off into the distance.

"I see. And what else did this little birdie tell you?"

"That you might be planning to do something that you know I would not agree with," she said.

"Is that so? Well, if you would listen to my side, then I'm sure you'll wind up agreeing with me," he said.

"Then go ahead and explain," she said. The King explained his plan to her. "There must be another way. She shouldn't have to give up her freedom for something like this!"

"She won't be the only princess in history to do something like this for her country! Many other countries have daughters just for this reason. Don't get me wrong, you know I love our daughter with all my might. If Kou didn't come today and declare war on our doorstep, then I would gladly let her choose who her future husband would be. But I can't think of much else to do that would keep the peace as it is. Besides, she'll be happy in Kou. I'll negotiate with the Emperor into letting Ashley and Allie go with her," the King further explained. She sighed and looked up at the sky.

"I don't know. Something tells me this isn't the right answer," she whispered.

"I don't like this either. But this will be better for us all in the long run," he gently said, kissing her cheek. "I have to go now. I won't be back for quite some time. Be sure to watch over the kingdom for the both of us." He walked away, preparing for departure.

"What shall we do, Milady?" her personal assistant asked.

"I have a friend who I'm sure would listen to my plan. But we must leave soon. Prepare a boat," she said.

"Yes Milady," he said.

At sunset, the King and the Kou representative left for the Kou Empire. A few hours later, the Queen and her personal assistant also left, but for a different country.

"I still don't know exactly what is going on," Haley said.

"Neither do we, but it must be important if both your parents had to leave," Allie said.

"But why are they taking different boats to different places?" Ashley asked.

"Who knows. I just hope that when they come back, those Kou Empire guys won't be coming with them," Arum said.

Two days later, the Queen arrived at Sindria.

"We're here Milady. I sent a letter ahead of time to tell King Sinbad that we were coming," her assistant said.

"Well done. Now, let's head to his palace. We must make sure to have this done with as soon as possible."

"What done with, your majesty?" a man asked from the port. They looked down and saw two men standing on the port.

"Hello, Jafar, Masrur. It's been a long time since I've seen you two," the Queen said.

"It's good to see you again as well," Jafar said. "I know it's not my place, but may I ask what you plan to ask our King about?" She and her assistant got off the boat and headed to them.

"My country is in the threat of danger and I wish to ask for your King's help," she said.

"I see. Well, I will ask no more. Please, follow us, we'll take you directly to Sin. He's been expecting you," Jafar said. He and Masrur turned around and headed to the palace, the Queen and her assistant following them.

When they got to the palace, they were led to Sinbad's meeting room.

"Please, after you," Jafar said. The Queen entered the room.

"Welcome, Queen of Alantii. I've been expecting you," Sinbad said, standing up and walking to her.

"Good evening, Sinbad. It's great to see you again," the Queen said.

"You as well. I got your letter. It said that your country was about to enter danger?" he asked, motioning for her to sit down.

"Yes. And I'm afraid my husband is going in the wrong direction to solve it," she said. She explained what was going on, to which everyone in the room (Sinbad, Jafar, and Masrur) listening closely.

"So, Kou is trying for another country now huh? And this time they're not even trying to be peaceful about it. Also, from what you've said, he's planning on offering your daughter as a bride to calm things between you two," Sinbad said.

"Pardon my intrusion, but what is it you want us to do about it?" Jafar asked. "Sure we're against the Kou Empire to begin with, but it's not them directly that we are fighting."

"I thought that if we somehow prove that our two countries are allies, then the Kou would back off," she said. Sinbad leaned back in his seat.

"That would be a good way to avoid war, considering we have many allies we can ask to fight with us, plus your country isn't very strong in terms of military strength. Did you have any ideas in mind as to how we would prove our alliance? Because I'm sure you know that words alone won't convince the Emperor," Sinbad said. Jafar glanced at the Queen who met his gaze.

"I think I know what you had in mind, your majesty. Could it possibly be along the same lines as what your husband is trying to do?" Jafar asked. The Queen looked at the table in front of her.

"I'm sorry. I know you don't wish to marry, Sinbad. But I can't think of much else to prove our alliance quickly," she said. Sinbad sighed.

"You're right. I don't wish to marry. I would only marry if I accidentally deflowered her. But considering the circumstances, I don't see myself deflowering, accident or not," he said.

"I was afraid you would say that," she said.

"Sin, maybe we can talk about our options. Considering it takes about a week to get from Alantii to Kou, we have some time to figure things out," Jafar said.

"Yes, let's take some time. There is no rush," Sinbad said.

"Thank you," she said. For the next week, Sinbad, the Eight Generals, and the Queen had many meetings to talk about the options of getting to the Kou Empire that Sindria and Alantii were allies.


	3. Chapter 3

A week later and the Queen was on a boat headed back to Alantii. She was accompanied by her personal assistant, Sinbad, Jafar, and Masrur.

Sinbad was leaning against a railing at the tail of the boat, staring at the sea as they got closer to Alantii.

"I hope we're doing the right thing for Alantii. There's no turning back at this point," he sighed.

"Sin, you sound unsure of our collective decision," Jafar approached him. Sinbad smiled at the blonde over his shoulder.

"Not unsure, just worried. I want to make sure we aren't digging their graves with this decision," Sinbad explained.

"I think this will more get them away from the grave rather than digging it. Besides, I'm sure that even a peaceful country like Alantii would rather join forces with us than join the Kou Empire. All you really have to do is speak with Princess Haley and show the Kou Empire that we are truly allies, even though there's no real benefit for us to be allies with them," Jafar said.

"You make it sound so easy," Sinbad chuckled. "But I'm not complaining about that."

"No, you're complaining about giving up your status as bachelor," Masrur said, approaching them. Jafar narrowed his eyes at Sinbad.

"Is that really what this moping is all about? You'd have to get married at some point Sin, this is the best time for it," Jafar said.

"I know, I know. I'm helping out some old friends of mine by marrying their daughter, connecting our countries. And Alantii is a beautiful country and very well off, which is probably why the Kou wants it so badly," Sinbad said.

"Exactly. So while we are in Alantii, we can go to the local markets and see what exactly this country has to offer. After we've finished business that is," Jafar said.

"That sounds like a plan," Sinbad smiled.

Haley sighed as she sat down on the balcony overlooking the training grounds.

"This is so boring. Why won't Mom and Dad teach me to fight? At least then I wouldn't be such a bother and I would be less clumsy," Haley whined.

"You can't be trusted with a sword, that's why," Arum chuckled, leaning on the door to the balcony.

"Arum! When did you get there?" she asked. He went and stood behind her.

"Not for long. How long have those two been practicing today?" he asked, nodding towards Ashley and Allie who were sparring down in the training fields.

"Only for about an hour now. I have to wait here until they are done," Haley said.

"How come?"

"I'll get into some kind of trouble if those two aren't always within sight of me," Haley mocked their Dad's scolding tone. Arum laughed.

"First off that's a horrible impression of Dad. Second, He's got a point. Before those two came, they had some of the guards tail you whenever you went off on your own," Arum said.

"How rude. I'm not that bad," Haley crossed her arms. "Allie's just as bad, maybe even worse than me."

"You've got a point there. But at least she can protect herself. Also, Mom and Dad have tried to get you to learn how to fight remember? Just not with swords. And what did you say?" he said. Haley huffed.

"It was boring."

"No, you said why bother learning how to fight if you're just going to have guards protect you anyway. And that a princess shouldn't have to know how to fight, although there are many princesses that do know how to fight and at least defend themselves against thieves," he said. She went silent. "That's what I thought. You can't even think of a good comeback."

"My daughter at a loss for words? Has the world come to an end?" the Queen said. They turned to the balcony door and saw her standing there, smiling at them.

"Welcome home Mom," Arum said. Haley stood up.

"Welcome home!" Haley said, grinning like usual. The Queen laughed.

"Thank you both. I am home. Has your father returned yet?" she asked.

"No. We received a letter though, saying that he should be back within a week," Haley said.

"Among other things," Arum said. Haley raised her eyebrow and looked at him.

"What other things?" Haley asked.

"Mother, who is behind you?" Arum asked, pointing behind the Queen. She smirked at her son, but turned to introduce the guests.

"Haley, Arum, I would like to introduce you both to the King of Sindria, Sinbad. Along with his household members, Jafar and Masrur," the Queen introduced. They stepped forward.

"Hello, it's nice to formally meet the Prince and Princess of this beautiful country," Sinbad said.

"It's nice to meet you," Jafar said.

"Hello," Masrur said.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you three," Arum lightly bowed.

"A pleasure to meet you all," Haley curtsied.

"Haley, where are Ashley and Allie? I thought we said to have them by your sides at all times," the Queen said.

"It's okay Mom, they're down in the training camp. I'm sure they've even noted every move Haley's made," Arum said.

"How could they be able to do that? I'm up here and they're focusing on their sparring," Haley said.

"They're you're personal guards, of course they would pay attention to every detail," Arum argued. Clangs were heard form down below as well as "Hah!"s and "Where were you aiming?".

Sinbad went to the edge of the balcony and watched them spar. "They're not half bad. Do they by any chance have metal vessels?"

"Metal vessels? What are those?" Haley asked.

"They are metal items that contain a djinn," Sinbad said. He continued as if feeling the upcoming questions. "A djinn is a lifeform made by the Rukh. When these djinns are inside a metal vessel, they can give power to their masters, or the people who own the metal vessel that the djinn is in."

"And what exactly are the Rukh?" Arum asked.

"To put it simply, they are the beings of life. They are where we get our Magoi from whenever we use it. They are natural phenomena, fate," Jafar briefly explained.

"Oh," Haley said.

"To answer your question Sinbad, no, those two do not have metal vessels. They are simply swordsmen who the King and I hired to protect Haley at all times. Although over the last six years those three have become more like sisters than a Princess and her guards," the Queen said.

"I see," Sinbad said.

"Well shall we get started with business then?" Jafar asked.

"What kind of business?" Arum asked.

"Haley, come with me. Arum, please go get Ashley and Allie and meet us in the dining room," the Queen said.

"Okay," they said. The Queen left and Haley followed while Arum left for the training grounds.

The dining room they had gone to was a smaller one, usually used by the royal family when they didn't have guests over. During the past few years they had bought a slightly bigger table so that Ashley and Allie could eat with them as well, since those two were treated more like family than bodyguards. The ceiling only reached a few inches above Masrur's head and had no other furniture in it other than the chairs, table, and a cabinet to hold a few antique dishes. The walls were an ocean blue with the floor being a dark wood.

When they entered the room, Haley sat in her usual spot which was between Allie and Ashley's seats and the Queen sat one spot away from Haley. Across from Haley sat Sinbad and behind him stood Jafar and Masrur who both politely refused to sit. After a while, Allie and Ashley came and stood behind Haley on either side.

"Prince Arum told us it was an emergency," Allie said.

"Is everything alright your highness?" Ashley asked.

"All will be told in due time," the Queen said. "Now that we are all here, let us begin. Sinbad, as you know, I have asked you to come here as a favor."

"Yes. But does the Princess know of why I am here? Or the circumstances involving the country?" he asked.

"No, I haven't told her anything about it," the Queen said. Haley looked at her, already very confused. "Haley, are you aware of what the Kou Empire is?"

"Of course. It's the Empire that's been trying to take over the world," Haley said.

"Exactly. And a week and a half ago, a representative from the Kou Empire came to our country. Saying that Alantii was the next country on their list to conquer. And that if we don't let them take us over, there will be war," she said.

"Which is why you came to Sindria, to seek out an ally," Sinbad said. The Queen nodded. "When she came to our country, she asked me for a favor. A very big favor."

"One that took a lot of convincing to do," The Queen added.

"And what is this big favor?" Haley asked.

"In order for Kou to not invade us, we will become allies with Sindria. But the Emperor will not simply take this by words alone. We have to prove in a permanent way our loyalties to each other," the Queen started.

"Okay…" Haley said.

"There is typically only one way to prove that to the world, that two nations are close allies," Sinbad said.

"And that way is through marriage," Jafar said.

"Marriage? So, you're telling me that Sinbad and I have to get married?" Haley asked.

"For the future of our country, yes," the Queen said. All eyes were on Haley.

"What do you say, Princess Haley?" Sinbad asked.

"Um, well, it's out of my hands isn't it? I mean, this is the decision that the kings and queens of both countries have to make and the Princess has no say," Haley said.

"That is true. But we did want your opinion on it, since you are 26 years old and no longer a child," Sinbad said.

"Oh, I see. Well that's very kind and considerate of you all," Haley said.

"So what is your official opinion, Princess?" Jafar asked.

"Well, since it's for the sake of my country, I will do what my mother feels is best," Haley said.

"Well spoken. We shall leave in two days' time. That should give you enough time to pack right?" Sinbad asked.

"Yes, but one thing," Haley said.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Ashley and Allie have to come with me. They are my personal guards as well as my close friends," Haley said.

"He and I have already discussed that and have agreed to let them come," the Queen said.

"Really? Well, thank you. That means a lot to me," Haley said. Sinbad smiled and stood up, walking over to her, bowing slightly.

"I look forward to a pleasant life with you, Haley," he said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. Seeing him closer, Haley blushed slightly and she smiled up at him.

"Same to you, Sinbad," she said.


	4. Chapter 4

During the next two days, the country prepared for the departure of their dear princess. There was a lot of partying and many of the civilians got drunk. It was almost as if it were an ordinary festival, and not a going away party.

"You'd think the people would be grieving at the loss of their only princess," Jafar said to himself as he walked down an almost empty alleyway. For once, he hadn't noticed a figure sitting on a crate by themselves. She had a bottle of liquor in her hand and chuckled at his self-revelation.

"You think these people aren't sad?" she said. For a split second, Jafar's eyes went wide. But they went back to normal as quickly as they'd changed.

"Excuse me?" he said. The figure raised her head and stared up at the sky, now a clear night with all the stars shining brightly, the moon highlighting the features of the now familiar girl. "Oh, you're one of Princess Haley's guards correct? Allie was it?" Allie chuckled quietly.

"Yeah, I'm Allie. Thanks for remembering," she said, smiling down at him, and gently waving.

"Considering you and your sister will be traveling with us, I'd be rude not to remember your name and face," he said. Allie blushed a little, but Jafar pretended not to notice, assuming that it was simply because she was drunk. "Anyway, to answer your question, yes, it doesn't seem like they are sad at all. They actually seem to be happy that she's leaving."

"But that's not true in the slightest," Allie said, jumping down from the crate. The full, unopened bottle of liquor staying steady in her grip. "You only see what they show on the outside, what they choose to show to strangers. Right now, they simply are doing as they think Haley would want." She walked further down the alleyway, motioning for him to follow her.

"And what would that be?"

Allie went silent, pointing around the corner. Jafar did as she motioned and peeked, his eyes widening again at what he saw.

One of the families with small children that were celebrating with everyone else earlier. Two of the children were crying and the parents were comforting them.

"I'm gonna miss Princess Haley so much!" the little boy cried, staining his mother's shirt.

"She's so nice and fun! Why does she have to go? Why can't she stay here forever?" the little girl weeped, her father rubbing her back as he held her in his arms.

"There there. We know how you two feel. We're going to miss her too. But you know what? She's being brave and doing something that will protect us all, I know it," the mother said.

"She's right. And I'm sure Princess Haley will miss us all as well. But you know what? Just because she's going to a far away kingdom, doesn't mean she will forget us all. I'm sure she loves her whole country and everyone in it. Didn't you two hear her speech yesterday?" the dad said. The little girl sniffled.

"Y-yeah. She said we will always be in her heart and thoughts, and that she wants us to see her off with a smile," she muttered.

"S-so if the Princess can be brave enough to move to a far away place, then we can be brave and smile as if she isn't going away!" the little boy said, the mother wiping tears from his eyes.

"Exactly. So no more tears okay? Our entire country is trying to let our princess do what she needs to do," the mother said.

Around the corner Allie was smiling and Jafar was awestruck at the amount of respect and praise the people had for their princess.

"You see, it's not that they aren't sad. They're just trying to be brave and send her off tomorrow with a smile," Allie said.

"I see. Well, I guess the rumors about the citizens are true. They really do love their monarchy," Jafar said, walking back down the way they had come. Allie walked after him.

"Not all of them love the royal family, but enough do to keep this country at peace," Allie said, staring at the ground. Jafar glanced at her over his shoulder.

"You sound doubtful," he said.

"Well, it's not like Ash and I grew up in this city. Heck, we've only been in it for about 6 years. Yes, that's enough time to become friendly with the citizens and see the brighter side of it, but we were first met will malice and hate, simply because the tribe people of the forest and the citizens do not get along too well," Allie said.

"Is that so? Is that why I haven't seen a single tribe member here, celebrating?" Jafar asked.

"Probably. That and the tribe members aren't too fond of the royal family, even though Haley's parents don't really put much rule over them. In fact, they might as well be their own country, if not for the fact that they are allowed to travel into the towns to trade sometimes," Allie explained.

"I see. So, it's not enough hate to bring about a civil war?" he asked.

"No, not nearly enough. Although 6 years ago there was a dark cloud hanging over a lot of our heads. But thanks to Haley and her family, that's gone for most of us. Although there's one or two that still cling to the darkness in their hearts, if only a little," Allie said. Jafar stopped walking and Allie stopped beside him.

"And who would these people be?" he asked, slightly interested.

"Well, one of them is my sister. Maybe it's because she was so close to the source of the darkness for such a long time, I don't know. Hopefully leaving this country will help her get rid of the rest of the darkness," she said. Jafar stared at Allie but not really seeing her. "Jafar?"

"How much have you had to drink?" he asked. Allie blinked twice.

"Huh? Oh, um, not a single drop, see?" she said, holding up the bottle. Looking at the bottle, she continued, "I don't really drink that much. I simply wanted to hold it in case I felt like it, since Haley told me to enjoy our last night here."

"I see. And where is the princess whom you are supposed to be guarding?" he asked. She flinched slightly at the scolding tone in his voice.

"Well, she told me to go and enjoy the party, but I'm not feeling up to it. Neither is Ash. I'm sure she's somewhere thinking about things like I was. Hopefully she doesn't drink too much," Allie said.

"Does she drink more than you?"

"A little, but not much. I've never seen her drunk before actually," Allie said.

"Oh. Well then, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to retire for the night," Jafar said, walking away.

"Oh, um, okay. Night!" Allie said, staying where she was.

"By the way Allie, you do look quite cute blushing, if not for the bottle in your hand. Also, despite your looks, you're actually quite perceptive. I'll have to rethink my opinion of you!" he said.

"Wh-wha? Wait, what?" she stuttered. But before she could get a clear thought out, he disappeared into the night. Sighing, Allie went back to her perch on the grate, feeling her cheeks burn. "Did….he call me cute? But what did he mean by the bottle? Did I appear drunk at first? Gah and what does he think about rethink his opinion of me? Was his first impression of me that bad? Sigh, if only Ash were here to talk to. I'm sure she's moping somewhere random, drinking the night away for the last time."

Up on a square rooftop, Ashley sneezed.

"Geez, who's talking about me?" she muttered. Despite what Allie thought, Ashley was completely sober. She had a few shots last night, but chose to be completely alone this night. She gazed up at the stars, wishing to see her home village just one more time before leaving.

"Maybe I could go really quick. I mean, no one would notice that I wasn't there," she mused. Shaking her head violently, she continued, "No, I can't. I have to stay close by in case Haley needs me and Allie. But….it's not like they even know where I am right now. Hell, I'm not really even sure where Haley or Allie are," she sighed, "Whatever. I still can't leave. I'll just stay up here for tonight, avoid the noise."

"So I'm not the only one wishing to escape the party, huh?" a deep voice said. Ashley jumped around, hand on the hilt. After recognizing who it was, she sighed and brought her hands back to her sides.

"Geez Masrur, don't sneak up on people like that," she said. Masrur just stared back at her.

"So, you don't like the party?" she asked, smirking.

"I'm not really a party person," he said. Ashley chuckled.

"Same here. Well, I like them at first, then it gets too crowded. Besides, I'm not in the party mood right now," she said. She walked over to the edge of the roof and stared down at the celebrating citizens. "I can't bring myself to smile in front of her as if everything's going to be alright. Even I can tell there's a lot of work to be done up ahead. Although it's not my place to tell her such things, I still need to watch out for them."

"Because you are her guard?" he said.

"That, and because she's my best friend. Both her and Allie. I don't know what I'd do nor where I'd be without either of them. I owe them so much that I'm willing to risk my life for them," she said. "Ehehe, sorry, I don't mean to be spilling some of my guts. I guess….I'm just proud of Haley for being mature about this and accepting what needs to be done before her own interests. Although I feel like some of this might be her own liking too," Ashley said.

"To leave her country?" he guessed.

"No. I'm sure if she had the choice, she would rather stay here in her homeland. But not everyone gets that choice," she said. Masrur stood beside her, looking down as well.

"She will need your strength, in order to accomplish this," he said. Ashley looked up at him, her head tilting to the side. "This is a big step, and she needs her friends' support to help her through it."

"Yeah, I guess so. Tomorrow I'll be better, I'll be able to smile with her and be as brave as I need to be," she said. She walked to a different edge of the building, one that faced the distant forest.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Not much. Just that I probably won't ever see that forest again, nor the wonders that lie in it," she whispered.

"What are those wonders?" he asked. Ashley smiled at him over her shoulder.

"Asking a lot of questions aren't we? I thought you more the silent type, based on your actions these last two days," she said.

"I am only curious, that is all," he said. "And you seem to have the answers to my questions." She felt her lips crack smile. Looking back to the forest, she could almost see the places she and Allie went to, so long ago.

"There are many waterfalls scattered throughout that forest. They give off these….auras. When I was younger, I was at peace whenever I was near one. The bottom of those waterfalls created this mist that was mysterious, yet I felt no hidden danger. A few times Allie and I had gone to the base of one of them and saw a clear and beautiful rainbow. I'll never forget that sight." As she told of these spots, her smile grew wider and her eyes became softer. Masrur, who watched her as she told him about these places, felt himself smiling with her, wondering how her childhood must have been. "But, the waterfalls aren't the only amazing things there. Have you ever heard of a saltflat?"

"Yes, I've heard rumors of them being very…mysterious," he replied.

"They are. When it rains…it turns those dry plains into….something I can't even begin to explain. It's as if you lose your sense of space and all you can do is marvel at the….wonder around you," she said. Laughing, she added, "Sorry, you have to see them for yourself to understand why I can't explain them." Masrur rested his hand on her shoulder.

"That's fine. Maybe…one day you will be able to come back and…" he trailed off. Ashley glanced up at him, but he was looking into the horizon now.

"And what?" she asked. Closing his eyes, his smile remained.

"Nothing. Nevermind," he said. For a brief moment, Ashley could have sworn she heard her heart skip a beat. His ear twitched slightly, picking up a familiar voice from down below. "Come on. I have a feeling you might get to see those places sooner than you think." Letting go of her shoulder, he jumped down from the roof, Ashley following close behind.


	5. Chapter 5

They landed in the middle of an alley, the impact making some empty bottles fall onto their sides.

"What do you mean, Masrur?" Ashley asked.

"You'll see," he said. Leading the way, he walked into the populated street. Looking left and right, opted for the latter, making sure that Ashley was following close behind.

All around her Ashley could hear the drunken laughing of the townspeople. As they waved at her, she forced a smile and gave a small wave back, making small, passing comments as they greeted her.

 _They sure are having a good time, on the outside at least. Wish I could do the same._ She thought. Masrur called out to someone, but she barely registered he had spoken. At some point he had stopped walking and, being unobservant at the moment, walked right into him. The collision caused her to bounce backward and almost fall down. Masrur, seeing her falling, instinctively moved and grabbed the crook of her elbow, keeping her up. Helping her get steady on her feet once more, she rubbed her forehead.

"Don't stop all of a sudden. I was right behind you," she grumbled, glancing up at him.

"Sorry, I thought you heard me. You should be a little more observant," Masrur said, smirking slightly at the end. She was about to make a sassy remark, but she heard a familiar voice.

"Ashley! Are you enjoying the festival?" Haley asked, appearing from behind Masrur.

"Haley? Um, yeah, I guess. The townspeople seem to having a grand time," Ashley said.

"But are you?" Haley asked.

"I had a few shots yesterday. Not enough to get me drunk, but I had my share," Ashley said. Haley sighed.

"Haven't we told you many times before? Just drinking isn't the same as having a good time!" Haley said. "Are. You. Having. Fun?" Ashley sighed.

"Yes, Haley. I'm having fun," Ashley lied, forcing a small smile. Haley narrowed her eyes, not convinced in the slightest. She opened her mouth to retort but Sinbad, who had been standing next to her this whole time, beat her to it.

"So, Haley's told me many things about this country. Including some of the salt flats in the forest. Are they as beautiful as she says?" he asked Ashley.

"Huh? Um, yes, they're considered one of the wonders of the world," Ashley said, thrown off by the change in subject.

"Would you mind coming with us to one of those? I want to see one before we leave for Sindria tomorrow," Sinbad said.

"Um sure, but it hasn't rained for nearly two days despite it being the rainy season. I doubt if you'll see more than dry Earth right now," Ashley said.

"Who knows? It could rain on our way there?" Sinbad suggested.

"I mean…okay I guess. I'm not opposed to it by any means. We would just have to find Allie so that she can come with," Ashley said.

"Sounds like a plan then!" Haley said.

"Indeed. Masrur, would you mind finding Allie for us?" Sinbad asked.

"If I know Allie, she would probably be in an alleyway somewhere. Probably close to the residential areas," Ashley said. She pointed the direction of that area and Masrur nodded. He left the group and went up onto the roof of a nearby building, scouting the area Ashley pointed him in.

He first found Jafar, who showed him where he had last seen Allie. Luckily she hadn't moved from that spot. Roughly ten minutes later Masrur, Jafar, and Allie found Ashley, Haley, and Sinbad and they headed off to the forest.

"So, you're not drunk tonight?" Allie asked Ashley.

"Hey, I'm not drunk every time there's a festival," Ashley said.

"But you are usually at least buzzed," Haley said.

"You know, you two are making me out to be some sort of alcoholic," Ashley said.

"Not at all. We just know you like your drinks," Haley said, laughing.

"But we also you that you know when to stop and how to stay away from drinks for a long time," Allie said.

"See? You're in no way an alcoholic!" Haley said cheerfully. Ashley sighed, giving up.

"So, where are these salt flats?" Jafar asked. The current formation of the group was Ashley and Allie in front, since they knew how to get there, Sinbad and Haley behind them, and Masrur and Jafar holding up the rear.

"The closest one is a little less than a mile from the entrance. It's one of the easier ones to reach since there aren't any cliffs or huge trees yet. Past that one and it gets a little dangerous to reach the others. Well, dangerous for Haley to go to anyway," Ashley explained.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Haley asked. They had reached the entrance to the forest and continued walking.

"It means we can't trust that you won't get yourself hurt beyond that point. Every time we've gone past it you've found some way to almost hurt yourself," Allie said.

"Then why take her past it?" Jafar asked.

"Well, you'll find out soon enough, but once Haley's gotten an idea in her mind, it's nearly impossible to stop her," Allie said.

"Or convince her that it's a bad idea," Ashley added. "Despite the obvious danger." Sinbad looked down at Haley, concerned. She noticed and shrug her shoulders up at him.

"I can't really disagree with that," she said.

"Do you know how to fight? Or protect yourself in the least?" Sinbad asked.

"Nope!" Haley proudly said.

"We and many others have tried teaching her the basics, she just doesn't want to learn," Ashley said. Hearing this, Sinbad began attempting to convince Haley that knowing how to protect herself was useful, at least against common thieves.

While all this was happening, none of them seemed to notice a certain Magi trailing behind them, floating along slowly up above the branches.

"So, you've been here all this time, Ashley. And I see the light has nearly taken over your entire being. And why's Sinbad here? He seems awfully chummy with Kouen's future wife," Judar spoke quietly, keeping a certain distance between him and the chattering group. He picked up a few words from Sinbad's lecture and put a few pieces together. "Geez. The Queen must have gone off and gotten her married without their King realizing it. Hmm….I think I could have a little fun with this." Grinning, he flied ahead of the group stealthily, hiding among the high branches of the trees. "Let's see. I think those old geezers did something like this….yeah, that'll work nicely. Now…who to put it on…." He looked down at the upcoming group, and a certain ex of his made his grin wider. "Yeah….that's it. I'll kill two birds with one stone. Enjoy these times in the light. They'll be your last, my sweet." He sent down the snake containing only of black Rukh down to the ground, where it slithered out of sight until the moment was right. Judar watched as it got closer and closer, eventually reaching the ground and slithering up to its target. Plunging forward, it struck at Ashley's leg, to which the girl cried out and looked down. It coiled itself around her clothed leg and constricted, making her cry out again. Judar smirked.

 _Oh, this is only the beginning Ashley._ He thought. He flew away, heading back to wherever Kouen currently was.

"What the hell is this? I've seen this species of snake here," Ashley said, dropping to one knee. The group gathered around her, Allie making sure Haley was out of range of the snake. Sinbad kneeled down next to Ashley and helped get the snake off of her.

"Strange. I've seen many kinds, but this one's new to me. Have either of you seen this kind?" Sinbad asked Jafar and Masrur, who both shook their heads. "It doesn't look venomous. But we should still look at the bite wound to be sure." Ashley lifted her pant leg enough to show the bite mark.

"Here, let me, Sin," Jafar said. He came up and inspected the wound.

"Jafar used to be an assassin, meaning he's dealt with his fair share of poisons and the like," Sinbad explained to the girls.

"I don't sense, see, nor smell any kind of snake venom. Plus, it wrapped itself around her leg, giving a decent bruise. I'd say it's a constrictor of some kind, as opposed to a venomous snake," Jafar concluded, standing back up.

"I see. Then there's no real danger from it. But I wonder why it chose to attack Ashley?" Sinbad mused, staring at the creature that was struggling to get out of his grip.

"Who knows? Let's just kill it so it can't come back," Ashley said, avoiding too much pressure on her bitten leg as she stood up.

"Ashley, why would you kill a snake? Maybe it was just hungry?" Haley suggested.

"It attacked me, Haley. And snakes may be small, but even they know when not to take on something they can't kill. Besides, it wasn't constricting hard enough to break bone, let alone cripple me," Ashley said.

"If it was hungry it would have found something snakes usually eat, like mice or bird eggs. Snakes only attack humans when they feel they are threatened, and that's only the bigger constrictors or the venomous ones," Allie explained. Haley went silent.

"I agree with killing it. There's no point in keeping it alive," Jafar said.

"We'll destroy it and be on our way," Sinbad agreed. He took out his knife and killed the snake, then tossed it into a nearby bush so none of them would have to see it.

"Let's go," Jafar said. They started to walk once more. This time, Allie and Jafar were in front, Allie showing the way, Haley and Sinbad again in the middle, and Ashley and Masrur in the rear. Ashley had begun to limp slightly, the bitten leg bothering her a little.

"Are you sure you can walk?" Masrur asked.

"Yeah, it's only an annoyance. No pain," Ashley said. The talking ceased until they finally reached the salt flat.

"We're here," Allie said, stepping onto the flat plain.

"Oh wow…this is….this is…" Sinbad said.

"Wondrous?" Haley offered.

"Yes, wondrous. Stunning. No words can describe this beauty," Sinbad said. Masrur and Jafar agreed with him.

"Now you see why I couldn't explain this. Like Sinbad said, it is beyond words," Ashley said to Masrur. He nodded. Everyone went further onto the salt flat, the boys looking around in amazement. Ashley, Allie, and Haley did so as well, but more with feelings of nostalgia and peace.

"We've seen these many times, and yet, every time they amaze me," Allie said. It was slowly becoming nighttime around them, and they were able to watch the sun set against the giant natural mirror.

"Looks like we got here just in time," Ashley whispered. As the sky darkened with each passing minute, the group just stood there, marveling at the wonder of nature, a beauty not even magic could replicate.

"As much as I would love to be here forever and gaze at the world, I brought us all away from the eyes and ears of everyone for a reason," Sinbad announced.

"I figured that's what you were up to," Jafar said.

"What's up?" Ashley asked, now walking normally as they all walked closer to Sinbad.

"I must speak with you all about what is to come. Haley, I want you to pay close attention, for it concerns you the most," Sinbad began. Haley nodded. "As you all know, our reason for being here is to unite the Kingdoms of Sindria and Alantii as allies through marriage. However, I'm sure you all know that the King went to the Kou Empire to try to prevent war between this country and that very Empire. As far as I know, the King does not know of the arrangement between the Queen and myself. She wants us to leave as soon as possible, but I wanted to stall us as long as possible so that the King could come back and I could speak with him. However that does not seem possible. We do not know if the King will bring a Kou representative back with him to take Haley to the Kou Empire, but we can assume that he will, since royalty is normally escorted this way in terms of arranged marriages to other countries."

"So, what will happen when the Empire finds out I'm betrothed to you?" Haley asked.

"They might issue a war against us, depending on how insistent they are on taking this country. Or they could forcefully invade this country, which would not only spark war with Sindria, us now being allies, but with the entire 7 seas Alliance, since we do not invade but we will not be invaded. Alantii is now part of that alliance, because of our future marriage," Sinbad explained.

"And what does that mean for us? Would we be drawn in to fight as well?" Ashley asked.

"If that time does come, I would ask everyone able to come and fight with us. We are talking about one of the leading powers in our world right now. Their mission is to take over the world, but a few countries, our alliance, and the Reim Empire refuse to cooperate with that, thus the tension between the groups. However, at that time I will attempt two different routes, depending on Haley's answer when that time comes," Sinbad answered.

"And what are those two routes?" Haley asked. Throughout this entire explanation Jafar and Masrur chose to let their King explain everything, since not even they had a complete idea as to what Sinbad was thinking most of the time.

"One would be that I would ask you to fight with us. If that were your answer, I would have you learn to fight. Even if just to defend yourself against the mere soldiers Kou would send. If time permits, I'd send you, Ashley, Allie, along with a Magi named Aladdin and his king's candidate Alibaba to a dungeon nearby. However, if you didn't want to fight, I would strategize something completely different."

"And that would be?" Allie asked.

"The other route being a more peaceful one. Before they would declare war on us or Alantii, Haley and a few others, myself included, would go to a summit with a few representatives from the Kou Empire, and attempt to talk out a peace treaty that both sides can agree upon. However, I cannot guarantee that fighting wouldn't break out anyway. Like I said, there is already high tension between our two groups. One wrong move and it could mean war," Sinbad said.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to try a peaceful end right?" Haley asked.

"First we would have to make sure that Kou would agree to one. It sucks, but we can't entirely read what our opponents will always do," Sinbad explained.

"Oh," Haley whispered.

"I'll give you some time to think about it. It takes some time to get from Alantii to Kou and back again. Roughly two weeks I'd say. If your father comes back within this week and he brings a representative, we'd probably have another week before expecting a reaction from Kou. So think it over," Sinbad said. "That being said, why don't we all head back? It's pretty dark and the boat leaves in the morning. Plus we need to get Ashley's bite checked out." They all agreed and headed back home, Haley's thoughts cluttered with what she should do.


	6. Chapter 6

When they returned to town, the party was still going on.

"I think I'm going to call it a night," Haley announced.

"That sounds like a good plan. The boat leaves in the morning, so we should all get a good night's sleep," Sinbad agreed.

"Agreed. However, there's something I wanted to check out before leaving. So I shall take my leave," Jafar said, quickly exchanging eye contact with Sinbad.

"I see. Masrur, why don't you go with him? Who knows, he might need backup," Sinbad said.

"These streets are some of the safest in the whole country," Haley pointed out, feeling slightly offended. Sinbad smiled down at her.

"I'm sure they are. However we do not know this country like our own, so I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly," Sinbad explained.

"What do you mean by everything?" Ashley asked, glancing Jafar and Masrur's way.

"Nothing is wrong, Ashley. This is just a precaution," Jafar stated.

"Precaution? Against what?" she narrowed her eyes.

"All will be explained in due time," Sinbad said.

"For now, just trust us," Masrur added. A long, silent moment passed and Ashley sighed.

"I guess…for now," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Now that that's all settled, I'll take you three back to the castle. We'll see you two later, Jafar and Masrur," Sinbad said.

"Don't take too long, and be safe!" Haley said. Jafar and Masrur smiled at her.

"We always are Milady," Jafar said. They parted ways, Sinbad and the girls heading to the palace and Jafar and Masrur heading toward the pier.

"How's your leg, Ashley?" Haley asked. Glancing down, Ashley grimaced, remembering the snake constricting around her leg.

"It's okay. It'll get better with time I think," Ashley said.

"Let's get it checked out with one of the doctor's, just to make sure," Sinbad said, smiling down at Ashley, who nodded in return.

 _Don't….better…away…._ a voice rang in Ashley's ear. She stopped and turned halfway around, looking for the owner of the voice. Sinbad and Haley had kept on walking, while Allie stopped as well, noticing Ashley's strange reaction.

"What's up Ash?" Allie asked.

"N….nothing. Just thought I heard a voice," she muttered.

"Well, just make sure you don't talk back to them," Allie joked. Rolling her eyes, Ashley smirked at her sister.

"So, how are you liking Alantii, Sinbad?" Haley asked.

"It's a very beautiful country, much like Sindria. All of the townspeople seem to live well and I don't see any signs of slavery," Sinbad said, looking around.

"Yes, my mother and father make sure to have the local police enforce that there is no slavery. This country does not need it. We trade goods with each other as well as other counties. But we make sure our people are well fed, clothed, and sheltered first. This way, we ensure that there are no slums and no one has big causes to be unhappy," Haley said.

"Yes, I can see that. And when we were in the forest, we came across a few tribal people after that snake attacked Ashley. They seemed to be very welcoming after we explained our presence there," Sinbad said.

"My family does not rule them directly. They are of a group of people that did not want to be a part of the country. We only enforce the simple laws on them that allow them to come into the towns to trade for whatever they need, in exchange for the items they made in their villages, such as medicines or information about certain animals and their level of endangerment," Haley explained.

"Sounds like your family has everything figured out," Sinbad said.

"Internally, yes we do. Not so much with foreign affairs, as you can clearly see. We don't have a strong army, so when we have had to fight in the past six years, my parents have enlisted Ashley and Allie to help fight for us, since they are both very strong. But now they are coming with us to Sindria," Haley said.

"So that will leave them two less strong people to fight for them," Sinbad finished. Haley looked down at the ground as she walked. Guilt slowly started to build up in her as she processed what she already knew, just spoken from a different mouth. Sinbad put an arm around her shoulders, smiling down at her.

"Hey, don't feel guilty. Those two are your personal guards and friends before they are soldiers. Even if they had a choice, I'm sure they would go with you over being here," Sinbad said.

"But…isn't it selfish on my part to take them with me?" Haley whispered. Sinbad sighed quietly.

"Ashley, Allie, would you two mind heading back ahead of me and Haley? I want to speak with her privately," Sinbad said over his shoulder. Allie looked at him slightly confused, while Ashley was just suspicious. "She's my fiancée, I would never do anything to harm her."

"Ashley, I'll be fine," Haley said turning around. Ashley sighed.

"Come on Ash, let's go," Allie said.

"Fine, whatever," Ashley said. "If I find out you hurt her, not just now but in the future, you'll have to deal with us," she whispered to him as they walked by.

"I'll remember that," Sinbad whispered back. After a few minutes Ashley and Allie disappeared from sight. _Looks like I'll have to work on gaining her trust._ He thought.

"Sinbad?" Haley asked, getting his attention back. He looked back at her, smiling gently. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he looked her in the eyes and said:

"In response to your earlier question: it is not selfish in the least. Those two agreed in the beginning to be your body guards right? That alone means that they are willing to risk their lives for your safety. Granted that won't be necessary once we get to Sindria, since there are at least 8 other people there to look out for you, whom are all very strong. But the fact still stands. They are your friends now as well. I'm sure they aren't thinking twice about coming along with you."

Haley smiled up at him as his words sunk in.

"So…you think they'll be happy there as well?" Haley asked.

"Of course. If I'm reading vibes right, those two might be getting romances of their own rather soon. Well, at least one of them. The other I'm not too sure about, considering the guy she seems interested in," Sinbad said. Haley's eyes lit up.

"Really? You noticed too?" Haley said. Sinbad smirked.

"I notice everything around me. Although, I might have to speak with that girl to talk her out of it. That guy's not really into romances of any kind," Sinbad chuckled.

"Can you tell me which one? I might be able to help!" Haley said. He put a finger under her chin, lifting her head up slightly and leaning in to her ear.

"I'll tell you tonight, when we are at the palace. But don't say anything. We shall devise a plan on the boat tomorrow morning," Sinbad whispered. Haley felt a chill run down her spine and her face heat up. She nodded slightly. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "If you look out for your people as much as your friends, which I'm sure you do, then you'll be an amazing Queen of Sindria, Haley." She buried her face in his chest to hide the darkening blush that was growing on her cheeks and spreading to her ears.

The waves crashed against the pier as the gentle night continued on. Jafar looked out into the sea with a pair of binoculars he managed to grab nearby.

"What do you see?" Masrur asked.

"Nothing yet. Oh, there's a figure of a ship far in the distance. If it's going at the speed I think it is, it'll reach here by noon tomorrow," Jafar said.

"Could be the King's ship," Masrur said.

"Could be. If Sin's suspicions are right, then the Kou representative could be on that ship," Jafar said, lowering the binoculars.

"Should we leave sooner then?" Masrur suggested.

"No, I think if we leave just after breakfast tomorrow morning then we should be able to avoid them. Either way, we should tell Sin about the spotting," Jafar said. Masrur nodded and they were about to head back to the palace when they heard a familiar laugh.

"So I wasn't seeing things back there. You lot really are in Alantii," Judar said, sitting on the roof of a nearby building.

"What are you doing here, Judar?" Jafar asked, glaring at the Magi.

"I'm just bored. And Kouen asked me to come here to scope things out. Good thing I came before the King did. I was able to get some decent information," Judar said. He jumped down to where they were standing. Masrur's muscles tensed up, ready to fight at any time. Jafar was no less tense.

"Like what?" Jafar demanded.

"Oh nothing much. Just that Sinbad is engaged the princess of this kingdom, a kingdom the Kou Empire wants," Judar smirked. "Oh relax. I'm not here to fight. At least not right now. I was sent simply to pick up the princess. But I see a future that is much more entertaining now."

"What do you mean by that?" Masrur asked.

"Oh, you'll see. One day, we'll have the princess. In fact, I predict she'll be coming to us on her own terms. So I'd keep a close eye on her if I were you," Judar chuckled.

"You sick, twisted man," Jafar muttered. "She'll never go to that side. And we won't let you have her. She will be the Queen of Sindria, beloved by all the citizens."

"And what about her body guards? Once in Sindria they'll have nothing to do," Judar said. "Sounds like a pretty boring lifestyle. And knowing Ashley, she's not gonna be happy about that one bit."

"How do you know her?" Masrur asked. Judar raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you want to know? Are you interested in her?" he asked.

"He's not the only one who wants to know. Why do you speak as if you know her personally?" Jafar asked.

"What, she didn't tell you? That she and I had a thing in the past?" Judar said.

"A thing?" Jafar whispered.

"Meaning you were a couple?" Masrur added.

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner! You are correct, she and I were a couple a few years ago. Something weird happened to her and we broke it off. But that doesn't mean I've given up on her. No, one day she'll have the same darkness she had before and I'll claim her as mine once more. It's inevitable. So be prepared. That's all I'm gonna say right now. Don't wanna give all the fun away," Judar said. He flew up and waved at Masrur and Jafar, smirking. "See you two later! And don't forget my warning!" With that he flew off into the night.

"What do you think, Jafar?" Masrur asked as they watched Judar fly away.

"Obviously we can't trust him. But there is something I want to ask Ashley about now. I also want to take another look at that bite mark. It could be the same one Alibaba got a while back," Jafar said. Masrur nodded and they headed back to the palace.


End file.
